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Travel counselor vs tour agent

The differences between travel counselors and tour agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a travel counselor and a tour agent. Additionally, a travel counselor has an average salary of $44,934, which is higher than the $31,350 average annual salary of a tour agent.

The top three skills for a travel counselor include reservations, apollo and ground transportation. The most important skills for a tour agent are sales floor, data entry, and reservations.

Travel counselor vs tour agent overview

Travel CounselorTour Agent
Yearly salary$44,934$31,350
Hourly rate$21.60$15.07
Growth rate20%20%
Number of jobs32,84030,004
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age5151
Years of experience22

Travel counselor vs tour agent salary

Travel counselors and tour agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Travel CounselorTour Agent
Average salary$44,934$31,350
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $70,000Between $24,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between travel counselor and tour agent education

There are a few differences between a travel counselor and a tour agent in terms of educational background:

Travel CounselorTour Agent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Travel counselor vs tour agent demographics

Here are the differences between travel counselors' and tour agents' demographics:

Travel CounselorTour Agent
Average age5151
Gender ratioMale, 24.5% Female, 75.5%Male, 32.1% Female, 67.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 7.9% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 9.8% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage17%17%

Differences between travel counselor and tour agent duties and responsibilities

Travel counselor example responsibilities.

  • Manage corporate travel arrangements for business accounts, including passport and visa documents.
  • Deliver comprehensive administrative support, with focus on coordinating travel arrangements, with this DoD contractor.
  • Create PDFs prior to being send to print vendors and edit sell sheets for product introduction mailings.

Tour agent example responsibilities.

  • Utilize OpenTable to take and manage reservations both from incoming calls and ones request online.
  • Provide excellent customer service through making group reservations and tour reservations.
  • Greet and check in guests for their respective tour presentations, look up accounts, and input guest information in CRS.
  • Perform travel agent duties providing a prestige customer experience in booking tours internationally and domestically for a fast pace tour company.
  • Remain prepared to respond to emergencies and conduct emergency procedures according to FAA guidelines.

Travel counselor vs tour agent skills

Common travel counselor skills
  • Reservations, 41%
  • Apollo, 6%
  • Ground Transportation, 5%
  • Booking, 5%
  • Corporate Travel, 5%
  • Customer Issues, 4%
Common tour agent skills
  • Sales Floor, 50%
  • Data Entry, 17%
  • Reservations, 10%
  • CRS, 7%
  • Front Desk, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%